Bird Life
The Blackbird
Scientific Name: Turdus merula
Irish Name: Lon dubh
B
Photographs courtesy of Robbie Murphy
lackbirds are a common sight in the garden. They are also
very vocal and produce beautiful flute-like songs, which can
be clearly heard in the dawn chorus (see below).
As members of the thrush family, blackbirds have similar
characteristics to their relatives - a pointed beak, a plump
body and a long tail. They can often be seen hopping along the
ground, with their tails up in the air.
Blackbirds are resident in Ireland but some also arrive in
autumn from other parts of northern Europe, to overwinter in
Ireland. It is not unusual for blackbirds to have a number of
broods during the breeding season, which is from early spring
until late summer. Each brood produces three to five eggs and
these are laid in nests made from grass, leaves, twigs or mud.
Chicks are born without feathers and cannot see for about nine
days. It is a few weeks before they are strong enough to begin
leaving the nest under the care of their parents.
When is a black bird not a blackbird?
What is the Dawn
Chorus?
In early summer mornings, just
before the sun comes up, the night’s
silence is broken by the sound of bird
song. Huge numbers of birds take
part in this chorus, some to attract a
mate, others to defend their territory.
FACT FILE:
Colour: Male has black plumage, orange
bill and orange ring around its eye.
Female is brown all over, paler
underneath, with some spots on breast.
Her bill is dark.
Length: 23.5-29 cm
Diet: Worms, insects and their larvae,
fruit, snails, seeds and berries.
Crows, ravens, rooks
Blackbird
and choughs are all
(male)
black in colour but
they are not
blackbirds. They
belong to the crow
family, while the
blackbird belongs to
the thrush family.
The male blackbird (above left) is
a smaller bird, with a orange beak
and an orange ring around its eye.
The chough, seen above right,
also has a coloured beak but it is
red and the bird itself is much
larger.
Blackbird
(female)
Habitat: Gardens, parks, farmlands
and woodlands.
No. of eggs: 3-5
Chough
And when is a
blackbird NOT
black?
Just to confuse
matters, the female
blackbird (bottom left)
is not black! It looks
more like a song
thrush (bottom
right), with brown
plumage and pale,
speckled breast.
Song Thrush
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www.naturesweb.ie
Summer 2013
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